If you've been hanging around any homeschool Facebook groups or scouring Reddit for curriculum reviews, you've probably found yourself asking is noeo science secular or if it leans more toward a faith-based perspective. It's one of those questions that doesn't always have a simple "yes" or "no" answer, mostly because people have different definitions of what secular science should actually look like.
Choosing a science curriculum is a big deal. You want something that's engaging, easy to follow, and—most importantly—aligns with your family's worldview. Noeo Science is a popular choice for families who love the Charlotte Mason or Classical education style, but the "secular vs. religious" debate surrounding it can get a little confusing. Let's break down what Noeo actually is, what it isn't, and whether it'll fit into your secular or faith-neutral homeschool.
What Noeo Science Actually Is
Before we dive into the religious specifics, it helps to understand how Noeo works. It's a "living books" curriculum. Instead of a dry, heavy textbook that makes kids want to take a nap, Noeo uses high-quality books from publishers like Usborne, DK, and National Geographic.
The idea is to get kids excited about science through great storytelling, beautiful illustrations, and hands-on experiments. It's broken down into Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, with different levels for different age groups. The curriculum provides an instructor's guide that ties all these external books together with a schedule and experiment kits. This structure is a big reason why the question of is noeo science secular comes up so often—because the books they use are almost entirely secular, while the company itself has a different background.
The Company Behind the Curriculum
To answer the secular question, we have to look at the people who make it. Noeo Science is owned by a company called Logress Press, and the creators are Christians. If you go to their website and read the "About" section, they aren't shy about this. They believe that science is the study of God's creation.
Because the authors have a Christian worldview, many religious families flock to it. However, Noeo is very different from something like Apologia or BJU Press. Those programs are explicitly and deeply religious, often weaving scripture into every lesson and focusing heavily on Young Earth Creationism. Noeo doesn't do that. They take a much more "hands-off" approach to theology in the actual daily lessons.
Is It Secular? The "Neutral" Label
In the homeschooling world, there's a third category between "secular" and "religious" called neutral. If you're looking for a strictly secular curriculum—one that teaches evolution as the foundation of modern biology and makes no mention of a higher power—Noeo might not technically fit your criteria.
However, if you're looking for a curriculum that doesn't preach at your kids, Noeo is about as close to neutral as it gets for a company owned by believers. Here's how it typically plays out:
- The Books: Most of the books included in the kits are secular. They come from mainstream publishers and focus on facts, observations, and scientific principles.
- The Instructor's Guide: This is where you might find the occasional mention of a "Creator" or a reference to the beauty of the natural world. These mentions are usually brief and mostly found in the introduction or the "philosophy" section of the guide rather than the daily worksheets.
- The Absence of Dogma: You won't find Bible verses to memorize or lessons on why secular science is "wrong." Noeo respects the scientific method.
The Big Elephant in the Room: Evolution
For many families, the real litmus test for is noeo science secular is how the curriculum handles evolution and the age of the earth. This is usually where the "neutral" tag becomes really apparent.
Noeo tends to avoid the topic of evolution and deep time in their younger grades (Biology 1, for example). They focus more on things like animal classification, habitats, and human anatomy. By staying away from origins, they allow both secular and religious families to use the material without running into a massive conflict in the first week.
For some secular parents, this "omission" is a dealbreaker. They feel that by not teaching evolution, the curriculum isn't providing a complete scientific education. For others, it's a non-issue because they're happy to supplement those topics themselves or wait until the kids are older to tackle the big "how did we get here" questions.
Why Secular Families Often Choose Noeo
Even though it's not marketed as a secular product, a surprising number of secular or "secular-ish" families use Noeo. Why? Mostly because it's really well-designed.
It's hard to find a science curriculum that is both academically solid and actually fun to use. Many secular science programs can feel a bit like school-at-home—lots of printables, lots of screen time, or very expensive kits. Noeo's use of living books is a breath of fresh air. Kids actually want to read the books.
Because Noeo uses Usborne and DK books, the vast majority of the "teaching" is coming from a secular source. If you're a parent who is comfortable skipping over a sentence in the instructor's guide that mentions a Creator, you can essentially use Noeo as a secular curriculum. It's very easy to "secularize" on the fly.
The Pros and Cons for a Secular Homeschooler
If you're on the fence about whether is noeo science secular enough for your home, it helps to weigh the specifics.
The Pros: * High-Quality Sources: You're getting the best children's science books on the market. * Experiment-Heavy: The kits are comprehensive. You don't have to go hunting for a specific type of wire or a weird chemical at 9 PM on a Sunday. * Neutral Tone: It doesn't mock science or promote anti-scientific views. * Flexibility: It's easy to add your own books on evolution or the Big Bang if you want to fill those gaps.
The Cons: * Occasional References: You will occasionally see references to God in the instructor's manual. * Omission of Origins: It doesn't lead with an evolutionary perspective, which is a core part of secular science. * Price: It's an investment. If you're going to have to "edit" it heavily, you might feel like you're not getting your full money's worth.
How It Compares to Other Programs
To get a better handle on where Noeo sits, think of it as a middle ground.
On one end, you have Apologia. It is 100% religious, focuses on Young Earth Creationism, and is filled with scripture. If you want secular, you stay far away from this one.
On the other end, you have something like Real Science Odyssey or Scientific Connections through Inquiry (SCI). These are secular from the ground up. They teach evolution, they use the scientific method exclusively, and there is zero mention of religion.
Noeo Science sits right in the middle. It's more "scientific" and less "preachy" than the religious options, but it lacks the explicit evolutionary foundation that the strictly secular options provide.
Can You Make It Work?
At the end of the day, whether is noeo science secular matters to you depends on your "purity" level regarding curriculum. If you need a product that was written by secular authors with a strictly secular worldview, Noeo probably isn't for you. You'll find the occasional mention of faith distracting or frustrating.
But, if you're a "cafeteria" homeschooler—someone who picks and chooses the best parts of various programs—Noeo is a fantastic option. Many parents find that the quality of the living books and the ease of the pre-packed experiments far outweigh the two minutes it takes to rephrase a sentence in the teacher's guide.
It's also worth noting that Noeo's customer service is generally very open about their philosophy. They don't try to "trick" secular families into buying their product. They know they occupy a unique niche that appeals to people across the spectrum who just want their kids to love science.
Final Thoughts
So, is noeo science secular? Not strictly. It's a faith-neutral-leaning-Christian curriculum that uses secular books to teach scientific concepts. It's a bit of a hybrid.
For many families, that's actually the "sweet spot." It allows for a rigorous, book-centered science education without the heavy-handedness of traditional religious textbooks. If you're comfortable with a curriculum that focuses on how things work while leaving the why of origins up to you, Noeo is definitely worth a look. Just be prepared to have a few conversations about evolution on the side if that's a priority for your family, and you'll be good to go.